Chapter 120Complexion
"You did something happen...?"
"Oh...?"
"Oh...?"
"You two, stop interrupting each other's conversations without speaking for even a second."
Because of Haru's words that made me feel like I was being pulled out of a lukewarm bath, I started to feel a strange feeling of annoyance. As I was eating my dinner, looking sad and downcast, Big Sis started talking to me and I couldn't help but react to her rudely. I think Big Sis thought that I was being defiant with her, so she started to bring out some of her old characters and it took me by surprise. Just as I was thinking about what to do about this atmosphere that had changed in the blink of an eye, Dad intervened to break us up, looking shocked.
"No, it just came out of my mouth unconsciously."
"You're so mean. You just made me feel intimidated without thinking, you know?"
"What do you think about feeling intimidated reflexively...?"
Strangely, lately, I can somehow understand why Big Sis and Shinomiya-senpai are getting along. Maybe it's because they both have something fantastic about them. However, I could see Big Sis' tense spirit disappear when I excused myself. What was it? She's been practicing hard without telling her family, right?
"So? Did something happen to you?"
"Eh? Nothing, why you asked me about it?"
"No, you're different from when you were helping out in the Student Council Office this afternoon."
"..."
This is very rare. I can't believe that Big Sis cares so much about my situation..., ...Is she the type of person who observes these kinds of things? Well, the tension is different from when I helped in the Student Council Office. Big Sis doesn't have to think about that, how can she think that I'm weird? It's weird, though.
"No, I just thought of something."
"Hmm."
Just "Hmm", huh? Am I not interested in Haru's words at all?
No, but Big Sis is currently showing the attitude of a typical "big sister", isn't she? Her ability to sense her little bro's anxiety and ask me if something happened to me is quite right. What's wrong with you, Big Sis? You have the attitude of a big sister like that too, huh! Big Bro is so impressed! Even though I'm her little brother.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Big Sis is interested in my situation, isn't she? I can feel it from her glances that are looking at me while flickering. I'm sure that you're interested in my situation... ...While Dad can only watch us while sipping his miso soup. This old man... ...was he planning to stay like that and watch from the sidelines? Dad's always so private, so I don't know what he's thinking. This is probably the reason why his quality is poor. Where's Mom...? Is she watching TV?
No, no. This problem of mine is too personal, and I don't even want to tell Dad about it, let alone Big Sis. Until forever, I will never tell them about this problem of mine.
"...Thank you for the dinner."
"Huh?"
"Eh?"
Just as I was about to leave my seat after sipping my miso soup, Big Sis approached me while making a voice that made me think that she must be a Yankee. I was also startled by the sound of the chair made by Big Sis or Dad shaking like it was scared, and a strange voice came out of me. By the way, this annoying Dad would pretend to be the person who cared the least about Big Sis when she was at her worst, and Dad was the one who always said "There will be no curse from the Gods if I don't interfere with your problems". And I was the worst victim of this. I will never forget this hatred.
But more importantly, I suddenly realized that Big Sis was looking at me and saying, "You lied to me, didn't you? I can't trust you!" ...Eh? Did you forget to eat something? Although she's usually very careless, she's always been rather strict about leaving vegetables on the plate... ...Maybe she just wanted to tease me.
"You, don't you want to eat more?"
"Yeah?"
Eh? It's like an old lady's sentence made 60 years earlier. Eh? Can I always add a second portion to my meal? It's so obvious that I forgot. What did I have for dinner tonight?
No, but tonight we're eating pork chops, right? There's no way I'm going to get a second portion of the main dish, right?
"We still have miso soup and rice."
"I've had my stomach full, you know?"
"Huh?"
"Hieh."
Big Sis can't hide her intention to kill me, huh?! If this continues, our enemy (*the current Shinomiya-senpai) will find me...!
Wait a minute. Was I confused just now? Would you normally suggest rice and miso soup for the second portion of my dinner when that's all that's left? Unless you have some extra pork chops left over, that's a different story. What's wrong with you, Big Sis? Are you on your period? Her words just now were the most incoherent words I've ever heard. Please don't yell at the scale again, you sound like one of those weird old men you sometimes see on trains.
"No, I've just been satisfied with it."
"..."
Big Sis puts an empty glass on top of an empty bowl, then puts chopsticks on the top.
"..."
"...Big Sis."
"..."
Looking at the flat plate that I was about to wash and put down. It turned out that there were still two pieces of pork chops on it. I could still eat another portion of rice with these pieces of pork if I ate them slowly. But it wasn't like I had eaten it all earlier, but somehow it was still on my plate.
"I have meat buns. I gave these to you, please have these."
"Then, you just have to give it to Dad."
"At his age, Dad is too old to like oily foods."
"..."
Dad...!
This Big Sis... ...She just slashed me from behind as if it's normal! Look! Dad must be shaking a bit while pretending to watch TV! I'm sure it was painful for him! Dad must have been so shocked to see his daughter treating him like a middle-aged man suffering from high blood pressure and blood sugar levels! I remember that he's into pork chops...! He loves foods with bad cholesterol!
"Is that all you want to eat? Why don't you eat rice too?"
"..."
...Anyway, I already knew that she wouldn't let me escape. I had already decided that I was going to eat these pork chops... ...So you tried to get her to listen to my story. Is she just making a prank on me...? I think she's not just getting carried away, but because she doesn't like it when I change the subject...
That's what I thought as I ate my rice. Stay strong, me!
"Continue...?"
"I've never had someone spend so much time saying 'please continue' before."
"So?"
"..."
No, you see, you're quite mature in this regard, you know. Until recently, she probably would have kicked my legs right out from under the table, while very bluntly saying, "Just tell me what you want to tell me!". That's still better, as long as her feet weren't directly aimed at me. It wouldn't change the fact that I wasn't given an option.
But what should I do? I don't want to desperately talk to Big Sis about this problem of mine openly. Well, if she thinks I'm worried about something, it's better if I just tell her something else. Otherwise, I'll just tell her that I can't tell her, even though that's not the case.
"No, you see, there's no point in me telling you here."
"Huh? What is it? Is it about school? I'm the Vice President of the Student Council, right?"
"No, it's not about school, I mean... ...hmm?"
...Wait a minute? Big Sis... ...Big Sis, huh? She was surrounded by handsome boys in the Student Council, but what exactly was it like? Yuuki-senpai also seems to be quite rich, so maybe she doesn't have an inferiority complex, right? Eh? Strangely enough, it's probably useless for me to tell her.
No, that's why this kind of situation exists. Are we having dinner together now? Mom and Dad are also beside us. —Hmm, Mom, ...Why did you turn down the TV volume? I wonder if they're listening carefully, but pretending to watch the screen. Oh, geez, everything around me is getting suspicious...!
"Y-You see, Big Sis, I can't keep up with the topics of conversation at school."
"Huh? What about it...? It's too bad that I'm worried about that. It turned out to be a communication problem."
"That's not polite. It's not like you have nothing to do with this, you know? It's just that... ...Um, it was just a sibling relationships talk."
"Huh? Sibling relationships talk...?"
"That's the anecdotal talk about sibling relationships. They would talk about their position in their respective families, what they did as big brothers, and what stories they experienced as little brothers. There weren't many funny stories that I could talk about... ...My friends try to show me how close their sibling relationships are. You know what I mean, right? That's why I can barely talk about it."
Even though I had listened to the story about the sibling relationships between Natsukawa and Airi-chan, I still felt like it was a story from another realm. Is it from heaven...? "So, what about me and Big Sis...?", thinking like that is not the best idea. Come on, change your usual arrogant behavior, Big Sis!
"..."
Oh, now is the time, isn't it?
While Big Sis started to think about other things, I was going to finish the rice and pork chops that she gave me. My only goal is to escape from here. There's nothing else that can soothe my heart but games! Wait for me, Big Boss...! I'm better at this game than anyone!
"—Thanks for dinner! Alright, I'll stay in my room."
I managed to escape, leaving Big Sis behind, who was thinking about something, and Dad, who completely lost time in stopping me from escaping.
♦
"...Huh?"
While I was doing the power level settings while holding my controller, there was a knock on my room's door. I was confused at first because there was no culture of "knocking on our rooms' door" in this house. Whenever I wanted to enter someone's room, I usually called out to them from outside.
"What? Who?"
"Me."
Why, though?
I immediately let go of my controller and braced myself. Considering the possibilities, I thought it might be Mom knocking on my room's door, but I was wrong. Is she Big Sis...? It's not a lie, is it? Is this a sign of a major disaster coming my way? What kind of creature like Big Sis can knock on the door?
"Eh? What? Scary, scary, scary, scary."
"I-I'm is not scary. Do you have a problem with that...?"
That's scary.
Big Sis went into my room. What the heck is going on? I hadn't seen her come into my room for a long time. I hadn't seen her come into my room since middle school when she told me to give her the new edition of the manga I bought. It was still a good thing that she had returned the manga to my bookshelf in my room without my knowledge.
"No? Eh?"
"..."
Big Sis just sat down on my bed. She's sitting on a bed in a boy's room, it seems she's just finished bathing. If I take a picture of her with my camera and send it to Yuuki-senpai, he might give me a lunch upgrade. I wonder if I'll get a chance to take a good photo of her... ...Hey, don't keep staring at the entire contents of my room.
"...What kind of chair is that?"
"Y-You can't take this chair away from me...!"
"I won't take that chair away from you."
Big Sis' attention was drawn to the homemade gaming chair that I had modified myself. The prototype of the chair was made from a round mini sofa. I couldn't let her take this chair away from me. When I got off my bed and hugged the chair to protect it, she told me that she wouldn't take the chair away from me. What did she mean by "told me that"? Why did I feel grateful that none of my things were taken by Big Sis? Isn't it dangerous?
Author's Note: It's dangerous!
TL Note: Hello guys, the translator is again here! I just got some information that the previous translation group translating this series' website is active again, so we're gonna put a hold on our plan to translate the first 50 chapters of this series. Enjoy reading.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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